Beatles, Royals, Politics, Spies and Literary Stars
Chiswick Book Festival reveals early details of this year's programme
The Beatles perform at Chiswick House. Photo by Robert Whitaker, courtesy of Chiswick House and Gardens Trust
April 26, 2026
The Chiswick Book Festival has unveiled the first details of its 18th edition, which this year will run from 9 to 14 September. Organisers are encouraging festival-goers to save the dates, with tickets due to go on sale at the end of June. Early highlights suggest one of the most wide-ranging and high-profile programmes the Festival has staged, bringing together bestselling authors, cultural commentators, political figures and literary favourites.
One of the headline events marks 60 years since The Beatles filmed “Paperback Writer” and “Rain” in the gardens of Chiswick House — two pioneering pop videos that helped define the visual language of modern music. On Thursday 10 September, BBC broadcaster Samira Ahmed, known for Front Row and NewsWatch, will chair a panel exploring The Beatles: Film, Fame and Social Change. Her new BFI book on A Hard Day’s Night was launched last week at the National Film Theatre, and she has written about the project on her blog. Full details of the Beatles anniversary event will be announced in partnership with Chiswick House & Gardens Trust in May.
The Festival will also mark the centenary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II, with royal biographer Robert Hardman returning to Chiswick to discuss his newly published book Elizabeth II. Hardman, who spoke at the Festival two years ago about Charles III, will be joined by Catherine Mayer, whose forthcoming book Divide and Rule: Royal Women and Their Battles examines the rivalries and relationships that shaped the monarchy. Their conversation promises fresh insight into the late Queen’s life and legacy.
Politics and the media will feature prominently too. Nick Clegg, former deputy prime minister and senior figure at Meta, will speak on Friday 11 September about his book How to Save the Internet, which is being released in an updated paperback edition next month. Clegg, who recently moved to Chiswick, will offer his perspective on the future of digital regulation and online public life. Later in the Festival, journalist Sarah Vine will discuss her bestselling memoir How Not to Be a Political Wife, reflecting on the personal and public pressures of life alongside political power.
A major double bill on Saturday 12 September brings together three Festival favourites for an evening of espionage in fact and fiction. Historian and columnist Ben Macintyre will introduce his forthcoming book Redwood: The Untold Story of the Cold War’s Most Extraordinary Spy, while novelist Charles Cumming discusses his new thriller Icarus 17. They will be joined by Jane Thynne, whose acclaimed novel Appointment in Paris has just been released in paperback. Thynne has also been following the filming of the new Berlin Noir television series starring Colin Firth, based on the Bernie Gunther novels of her late husband, Philip Kerr — a connection that adds an extra layer of intrigue to the evening.
The Festival will also welcome Dame Jacqueline Wilson, who spoke at the very first Chiswick Book Festival. She returns with Picture Imperfect, her new novel for adults and a sequel to her 1999 classic The Illustrated Mum. The book revisits Dolphin, now 33, as she navigates life working in a tattoo parlour and managing her complicated relationships with her mother, Marigold, and her sister, Star.
Another strand of the programme will explore Russian history and politics. Professor James Rodgers, who is speaking this week at the Chiswick Calendar’s Media Club about his book The Return of Russia: From Yeltsin to Putin, will appear at the Festival in conversation with novelist and biographer Miranda Seymour. Seymour’s forthcoming book I, Vera: The Many Lives of Vera Gedroits tells the story of a radical Russian princess and pioneering doctor who once frogmarched Rasputin out of a ward of wounded officers — a tale that promises to be one of the Festival’s most surprising historical revelations.
Festival director Torin Douglas said he was delighted to share an early glimpse of the September programme, with more names and events to be announced in the coming months. He also confirmed that the Festival will include a screening at Chiswick Cinema of Quartermaine’s Terms, part of the new Simon Gray season and featuring performances by John Gielgud, Edward Fox and Eleanor Bron.
Each September, the Chiswick Book Festival brings together leading authors and their readers for a week of talks spanning fiction, biography, history, politics, culture and the arts. It is a non-profit community event that raises money for three reading charities and for St Michael & All Angels Church, which organises the Festival with support from local businesses, media partners and volunteers.
Programme updates and mailing-list sign-ups are available at www.chiswickbookfestival.net.
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